BRIDGING TEACHER SELF-PERCEPTION AND STUDENT EXPERIENCE: EVIDENCE-BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN JIPIJAPA, ECUADOR
Teacher professional development is often designed from teacher self-reports or institutional assumptions, with limited contrast against students’ classroom experiences. This study analyzes didactic-pedagogical resource use and professional development needs in public educational institutions in Jipijapa, Ecuador, through a diagnostic-comparative approach that integrates teacher and student perspectives. A mixed-methods, descriptive-comparative design was applied using survey data from 206 teachers and 485 students in three public schools. The analysis examined didactic resource use, resource sufficiency, active methodologies, educational technology integration, perceived difficulties, and willingness to participate in training. Findings revealed relevant gaps between teacher-reported practices and student perceptions. Teachers reported frequent use of didactic resources and high willingness to participate in professional development, whereas students perceived a more moderate and less systematic classroom use. Teachers also reported marked insufficiency of didactic and technological resources. The study contributes a dual-perspective diagnostic framework for identifying pedagogical gaps and informing evidence-based, context-sensitive professional development interventions in public-school settings.